The present invention relates to a swim instruction harness for teaching and assisting a child to swim, wherein an adjustable support band that encircles the child's torso area is connected to an adjustable strap between the legs. Also attached to the adjustable support band is a handle for a caregiver to hold in order to support the child in the water.
Swimming aids are essential tools during the process of learning to swim. They support children in the water and help them learn to control their body to keep above water. There are different types of swimming aids that serve different purposes. For instance, babies cannot rely on their own body strength and need a more sophisticated support such as float suits or float seats. Children who are already able to walk and are learning how to paddle can use inflatable armbands, back bubbles, kick boards, or foam barbells. All of the swim instruction tools used today are inflatable or made of foam, therefore making them flotation devices. The problem with flotation devices is that they obstruct a child's movement in the water and hinder the child from feeling its own buoyancy, which is a key component of learning to swim. Most swimming aids give the child too much help, which lengthens the process of learning to swim.
There is a certain type of swim instruction device that can be adapted to the skill level of the non-swimmer or beginning swimmer. This particular type of device is made of several foam float layers, which can be removed one by one so that the child gradually feels its own buoyancy and holds its own body weight above water. The drawbacks to this device are that the swimmer can still keep above water with hardly any effort at all and the device restricts the movements of the swimmer.
Traditionally, before flotation devices were invented, the hand on head hold technique was the most efficient way to teach children how to swim. The hand on head hold technique challenges children to use more strength and float on their own while giving them the perfect amount of support. The major flaws in this technique are that the instructor's arm gets in the way of the child, it is uncomfortable for the instructor and the child, the child struggles to attain horizontal body position, and it is difficult for the instructor to master the technique.
Therefore, there is a need for a swim instruction device like the present invention, which is not a flotation device, does not restrict the child's movements, and allows for support by an instructor.
U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0014448 for “Handheld Harness to Teach and Assist a Child in Swimming” by Severino, published on Jan. 19, 2006, is a swimming aid designed to help a child learn how to swim. Severino employs a mesh panel with a border connected to two loop handles. The child is placed upon the mesh panel in the water, and the handles are held by the instructor to support the child. Unlike the present invention, Severino's device does not snugly fasten to the child's torso, but necessitates the instructor maintaining a continual grip on the loop handles in order to keep the device firmly secured to the child. Severino's device also requires the child's arms to be fit through the loop handles, consequently exerting pressure on the child's shoulders and neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,629 for “Safety Harness Device,” issued to Freemon on Jan. 5, 1982, is a safety harness device for supporting a person in the water for swimming instruction. Unlike the present invention, Freemon employs a pair of shoulder straps designed to extend over a child's shoulders and a pair of leg straps designed to extend around a child's legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,699 for “Child Sport Activity Training Device,” issued to Veitch on Jan. 15, 2002, is a child sport activity training device with a torso harness, waist belt, back straps and a hand grip. Unlike the present invention, Veitch was initially developed for ice skating and is most suited in design for supporting a child engaged in activities in which the child's body is in a vertical position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,272 for “Support Harness for a Young Child,” issued to Epstein on Jul. 25, 1995 is a harness designed to keep a baby or young child in a safe vertical position in order to facilitate the process of walking. Unlike the present invention, Epstein is specifically designed to support a child in a vertical position, has straps that go around a child's legs, and has a handle for a caregiver placed above the child's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,232 for “Swim Training Device,” issued to Bardot on Aug. 30, 1994 is a device for teaching children to swim that employs a pair of pouches that hold a plurality of removable flotation cells or panels. Bardot's invention positions one pouch over the swimmer's chest area and one pouch over the swimmer's back area. Unlike the present invention, Bardot employs flotation cells, whereas the present invention does not employ any flotation cells whatsoever.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,891 is for “Swim Training Device,” issued to Bardot on Dec. 31, 1996, is a swim training device that includes a pair of buoyancy units that are interconnected jackets adapted to store a plurality of flotation cells. Unlike the present invention, Bardot employs flotation cells, whereas the present invention does not employ any flotation cells whatsoever.